Ridgewood, NJ Invasive Plant Rules: Prohibited Species (2026)

Chapter 260's definitions section labels an invasive species as one non-native to the local ecosystem whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health, then lists twelve species by common and scientific name found in the Village: black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), catalpa tree (Catalpa bignonioides), empress tree (Paulownia tomentosa), Japanese cork tree (Phellodendron japonicum), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), white mulberry (Morus alba), white poplar (Populus alba), white willow (Salix alba), mimosa tree (Albrizia julibrissin), and European black alder (Alnus glutinosa).

The list does not itself create a stand-alone possession or planting ban; instead, it operates inside the qualified-tree permit scheme. Because a QUALIFIED TREE is defined in Sec. 260-2 as a non-invasive species tree of eight inches DBH or greater, none of these twelve species need a Chapter 260 permit at all, and Sec. 260-8F separately exempts the removal of "an invasive species as defined herein," once a licensed tree expert determines the species and the Village Arborist verifies it. A REPLACEMENT TREE under the same section must likewise be a non-invasive species, meaning none of these twelve listed trees may be planted to satisfy the chapter's replacement-tree obligation after a qualified tree is removed elsewhere in the Village.